344 LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. 



Society, and was introduced to the audience by Mr. Wil- 

 liam J. Loring, the gentleman through whom I had received 

 the invitation to Boston. I dined once at Mr. Loring's, 

 who had a lovely wife, a Thorndike. He died the next 

 year. A brother survives him, an eminent lawyer, with 



whom I also dined I entered the lecture-hall 



through a private door leading from my study. A large 

 and brilliant audience was before me, much larger than 

 any one that I had ever addressed. I was awed but not 

 abashed, and I entered upon the duty with good courage 

 and entire self-possession. The room was more than full, 

 alleys and all, the people filled the stairs, and were clus- 

 tered around the door in crowds. My friend, Dr. Wood- 

 bridge Strong, told me that those who went away because 

 they could not gain admittance, were more than the actual 

 audience. They were differently estimated, by different 

 persons, from 1000 to 1400; perhaps 1200 might have 

 been nearer to the truth. Such an audience of intelligent 

 and attentive persons was sufficiently encouraging. The 

 subject of the lecture was Meteors. I spoke seventy min- 

 utes, giving first an introductory view of luminous me- 

 teors, including lightning and shooting stars, this being 

 merely introductory to the meteoric fire-balls. Then fol- 

 lowed a historical sketch of the arrival in our atmosphere 

 of fire-balls, throwing down stones and iron, preceded and 

 accompanied by violent explosions and cannon-like reports. 

 The Weston Meteor of December 1807, was fully described, 

 and a summary of the facts was given from my own inves- 

 tigations at the places and among the people where the 

 event occurred. Specimens of the meteorites were then 

 exhibited ; their external characters and mechanical and 

 chemical compositions, were explained. Theoretical views 

 were then presented. 



At the conclusion of the lecture, Mr. William J. Loring 

 endorsed me, as being invited by the Society for Promoting 

 Useful Knowledge, and he announced the ensuing course of 



